During his recent visit to Egypt, Pope Francis addressed an assembly of Roman Catholic priests and religious stationed in that country. His talk was focused on seven temptations facing religious and how a knowledge of the Desert Fathers is relevant to their struggles. The complete article appears in the website Aletheia (aletheia.org/2017/04/29/look-to-the-desert......./).

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1. The temptation to let ourselves be led, rather than to lead.

2. The temptation to complain constantly.

3. The temptation to gossip and envy.

4. The temptation to compare ourselves to others.

5. The temptation to become like Pharaoh.

6. The temptation to individualism.

The temptation to keep walking without direction or destination.

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Hi there, I've come across your blog and enjoy the content. I am becoming more interested in the Christian faith and although am still searching, I am interested in the Anglo-Catholic tradition that you are apart of. May I just ask is there anywhere online which has an overview of Anglo-Catholic theology? I know you've provided some links to other resources. However, a lot of protestant evangelical sites have a statement of faith where they give an overview of what they believe about God, the atonement, salvation, heaven and hell etc. I cannot seem to find a similar summary of Anglo-Catholicism where the essentials of the theology are outlined.

May 6, 2017 at 9:59 AM

Anonymous

Hey, Peter! You might start with an old (1932) but pretty comprehensive essay by Walter Herbert Stowe called Anglo-Catholicism: what it is not and what it is. anglicanhistory.org/usa/whstowe/what1932.html For a more contemporary view, you can check out the website of The Society of Catholic Priests, an organization of priests in the Episcopal Church. You can also look at the site of The Living Church, which often publishes essays by Anglo-Catholics. This should get you started. You will find that under the "Anglo-Catholic" umbrella, there is general agreement on things like sacraments, creeds, liturgical style, but some divergence on issues like the ordination of women and homosexuality. But I think this should give you a good start.

Thanks for your response and the recommended resources. I also assume that you do not agree with the tradition of Augustine in believing the vast majority of humanity is headed for eternal damnation. I've found the 'only a few make it to heaven' viewpoint concerning and it is refreshing to see that not everyone believes this.

May 7, 2017 at 3:34 AM

Joe Rawls

I also have a strong interest in Eastern Orthodox theology, and there you find a number of people who at least hope for universal salvation--see especially Isaac the Syrian. Augustine should certainly be taken seriously, but selectively.

Contributors

Joe Rawls

I'm an Anglican layperson with a great fondness for contemplative prayer and coffeehouses. My spirituality is shaped by Benedictine monasticism, high-church Anglicanism, and the hesychast tradition of Eastern Orthodoxy. I've been married to my wife Nancy for 38 years.